Foreign matter detecting mechanism, carriage moving mechanism and method for operating carriage moving mechanism

ABSTRACT

A foreign matter detection mechanism for detecting a foreign matter other than a carriage object for the purpose of, e.g., preventing illegal use of a card by detecting a foreign matter other than the card inserted into, e.g., a card reader, a carriage movement mechanism used in the foreign matter detection mechanism and the like, and a method for operating the carriage movement mechanism. The foreign matter detection mechanism ( 1 ) comprises foreign matter detection members ( 5   a   , 5   b ) having foreign matter engagement portions ( 6   a   , 6   b ) and move closer to or away from a traveling path ( 4 ), a movement mechanism ( 29 ) for moving the foreign matter detection members ( 5   a   , 5   b ) in a direction crossing the traveling path ( 4 ) respectively, and detecting means ( 8   a   , 8   b ) for detecting presence/absence of foreign matter detection by the foreign matter detection members ( 5   a   , 5   b ). The foreign matter detection members ( 5   a   , 5   b ) are attached to the movement mechanism ( 29 ) in such a manner that they thoroughly cut across an area through which a foreign matter ( 3 ) can pass when an object ( 2 ) does not exist in the traveling path ( 4 ) and they move while sliding on a lower surface of the object ( 2 ) when the object ( 2 ) exists in the traveling path ( 4 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a foreign matter detection mechanism, acarriage movement mechanism, and a method for operating a carriagemovement mechanism. More particularly, the present invention relates toa foreign matter detection mechanism provided to detect a foreign matterother than a carriage target object for the purpose of, e.g., detectinga foreign matter other than a card inserted into a card reader andthereby preventing illegal use of the card, a carriage movementmechanism used in this foreign matter detection mechanism and the like,and a method for operating the carriage movement mechanism.

TECHNICAL TERM

In this specification, a term “foreign matter” means various kinds oftools which are abused to prevent a smooth carrying operation of anobject as a carriage target and cause a defect, including a cordedmember which causes a card to be caught in a card reader and interceptstraveling.

BACKGROUND ART

There have conventionally occurred crimes that a foreign matter is setin a card traveling path in a card reader such as an ATM (automatedteller machine) or the like to steal other people's cards in order toillegally use them.

Although means for, e.g., detecting a foreign matter in the cardtraveling path is provided against such crimes, there is a system like acard reader disclosed in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,079 that a cuttingedge is provided at an end of a shutter plate and a foreign matter suchas a card trap member is cut.

In case of a structure that the card trap member is cut by the shutterplate like this card reader, however, the card may be damaged when thecutting edge is brought into contact with the lower surface of the card.

Further, Japanese patent application laid-open No. 272922/1996 disclosesa foreign matter insertion detection mechanism (U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,725)which detects whether a foreign matter has been inserted by using ascanning member which scans an entire lateral widthwise area of atraveling path. Such a detection mechanism performs foreign matterdetection in a state that the card is not taken into the card reader,i.e., that there is no card in the card traveling path because of thestructure that the scanning member scans the entire lateral widthwisearea of the traveling path.

In such a foreign matter insertion detection mechanism, however, even inthe case that the card is inserted and taken into the card reader aswell as the case that no card is provided, the detection capability canbe further improved as long as a foreign matter can be detected, whichis preferable in view of enhancement of the security property of thecard reader.

Furthermore, in conventional card readers, there has been widely used abase which has an information recording medium or a recording headattached thereto or mounted thereon and can move in predetermineddirection (in this specification, such a base which moves with a givenobject attached thereto or mounted thereon is referred to as a“carriage”).

As adopted in an apparatus disclosed in, e.g., Japanese patentapplication laid-open No. 42068/1993, such a carriage movement mechanismused to move a carriage is generally constituted by a slide shaft 102, aguide member 103 which restricts rotation of a carriage 101, and a drivebelt 104 such as shown in FIG. 12.

Furthermore, like an apparatus disclosed in, e.g., Japanese patentapplication laid-open No. 31867/1995, guiding and rotation restrictionof a carriage 101 are performed by two shafts while the carriage 101 isreciprocated by rotating a drive belt 104 in one direction.

In such a carriage movement mechanism, however, since the slide shaft102, the guide member 103, the drive belt 104 and others require a largespace, this mechanism cannot be utilized in a small apparatus in somecases. In particular, when the slide shaft 102 and the guide member 103are arranged on the both sides of the carriage 101, a larger space maybe required in some cases, thereby complicating minimization.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide aforeign matter detection mechanism which can cut or detect a foreignmatter without damaging a card surface. Moreover, it is another objectof the present invention to provide a foreign matter detection mechanismwhich can detect a foreign matter in a card reader irrespective ofpresence/absence of a card. In addition, it is still another object ofthe present invention to provide a carriage movement mechanism which isadvantageous for minimization and a method for operating the carriagemovement mechanism.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

To achieve this aim, a foreign matter detection mechanism according tothe present invention, comprises: a foreign matter detection memberhaving a foreign matter engagement portion and being able to move closerto or away from a traveling path of an object; a movement mechanism formoving the foreign matter detection member in a direction crossing thetraveling path; and detecting means for detecting presence/absence offoreign matter detection by the foreign matter detection member, whereinthe foreign matter detection member is attached to the movementmechanism in such a manner that the foreign matter detection memberthoroughly cuts across an area through which the foreign matter can passwhen the object does not exist in the traveling path and it moves whilesliding on the lower surface of the object when the object exists in thetraveling path.

This foreign matter detection mechanism scans an entire area of the cardtraveling path similar to the prior art when there is no carriageobject, e.g., a card, and it moves back to a position at which it comesinto contact with the card surface and scans an area other than thatblocked by the card while being in contact with the card surface whenthere is the card. Therefore, even after the card is inserted, a foreignmatter in the card reader can be detected by scanning an area on oneside of the card traveling path partitioned by the card. Additionally,even if, e.g., a filate or filament-shaped foreign matter has enteredthe card traveling path with insertion of the card, this foreign mattercan be detected by scanning after insertion of the card, and thedetection capability is high because detection is possible even if thefilate foreign matter is stretched or lax. Therefore, the securityproperty of the card reader can be further improved. Further, thisforeign matter detection mechanism can be applied to a paper currencyfeed apparatus in which paper currency is a carriage object or any otherapparatus.

Furthermore, in the foreign matter detection mechanism according to thepresent invention, it is preferable that the foreign matter engagementportion of the foreign matter detection member is constituted by atabular portion, a concave portion into which the tabular portion movesis provided to the detecting means and the concave portion is formed tohave a width that the tabular portion can pass through when the foreignmatter is not engaged but it cannot pass through when the foreign matteris engaged.

In this case, if the foreign matter is thinner than a gap between theconcave portion and the tabular portion, the foreign matter engagementportion can enter the concave portion together with the foreign mattereven if it carries the foreign matter. On the other hand, if the foreignmatter is thicker than the gap, the foreign matter engagement portioncannot enter the concave portion together with the foreign matter, andthus protrudes. Therefore, detecting a position of the foreign matterengagement portion can detect existence of the foreign matter having athickness not less than a predetermined value. Furthermore, the thinforeign matter can be cut at the foreign matter engagement portion.

Moreover, in this foreign matter detection mechanism, it is preferablethat the detecting means is arranged outside the traveling path and theforeign matter detection member is provided so as to get across thetraveling path and detect a wider area than the width of the object. Inthis case, any foreign matter placed in the traveling path can bedetected.

In addition, in this foreign matter detection mechanism, when aplurality of the foreign matter detection members are provided so thatthey can divide the traveling path and perform detection, decreasing thescanning stroke of each foreign matter detection member can shorten thetime required for foreign matter detection.

Additionally, in this foreign matter detection mechanism, it ispreferable that the foreign matter detection member consists of a pairof members which move from the central part of the traveling path to theouter side and carry out detection redundantly at the central part. Inthis case, a pair of the foreign matter detection members scan adetectable area in the traveling path exhaustively, and scanning of anarea corresponding to approximately a half of the traveling path widthby each foreign matter detection member can suffice, thereby reducingthe time required for detection.

Further, according to the present invention, in the carriage movementmechanism in which a carriage moving in a predetermined direction isprovided to a loop-like member driven by a motor and an object to bemoved is attached to the carriage, the loop-like member is stretchedbetween two rollers, constitutes a loop having two parallel portions,and rotates by the motor. The carriage is fixed to one of the twoparallel portions, and this carriage is extended to the other parallelportion and guided by this parallel portion.

Therefore, when the loop-like member is rotated by the motor, oneparallel portion and the other parallel portion move in opposeddirections, and the carriage moves in one direction together with oneparallel portion. At this moment, the other parallel portion guides theextended part of the carriage while moving in the opposite direction,and prevents the carriage from rotating around one parallel portion.Therefore, the carriage moves in the parallel manner in a predetermineddirection without rotating around the axis of the parallel portion.

In this case, the loop-like member has both a function as a drive beltwhich drives the carriage, and a function as a guide shaft and a slidemember for performing guiding and rotation restriction of the carriage.Therefore, since the carriage movement mechanism can be constitutedwithout additionally providing the guide shaft, the slide member and thelike, minimization of the apparatus is possible. Further, reduction inthe cost can be facilitated.

Furthermore, in this carriage movement mechanism, two carriages can beprovided, and one carriage can be fixed to one of the two parallelportions constituting the loop whilst the other carriage can be fixed tothe other parallel portion. In this case, the respective carriages areprovided to the upper and lower parallel portions of the loop-likemember, and hence the two carriages can be simultaneously moved indifferent directions by rotation of one drive source (motor) in a singledirection. Therefore, it is possible to realize the structureadvantageous for minimization of the space and reduction in the cost.Moreover, as well as the carriage on one side, the carriage on the otherside is guided by the parallel portion of the loop-like member, it canmove in parallel without rotating around the axis of the parallelportion.

In addition, in this carriage movement mechanism, it is preferable thatthe motor is a stepping motor, the carriage is a movement member havingattached thereto a foreign matter detection member which detects aforeign matter inserted into the card reader and the foreign matterdetection member moves a distance which is approximately a half of thecard traveling path when it moves in a direction crossing the cardtraveling path.

In this carriage movement mechanism, when the stepping motor is driven,the carriage (movement member) moves in the crossing direction togetherwith the foreign matter detection member. The foreign matter detectionmember catches and detects the foreign matter in the card reader in themiddle of moving. In this case, a plurality of the carriages areprovided and the movement distance of each carriage is set toapproximately a half of the card traveling path, thereby shortening thetime required for foreign matter detection.

Additionally, the carriage is any one of a movement member on which thecard is mounted, a movement member having a magnetic head attachedthereto and a movement member having attached thereto a foreign matterdetection member which detects a foreign matter inserted into the cardreader, or any other movement member. According to the presentinvention, minimization of the carriage movement mechanism and reductionin the cost can be realized when the carriage takes any conformation.

Further, it is preferable that the foreign matter detection memberincludes the foreign matter engagement portion, which engages with aforeign matter, in both directions along which the foreign matterdetection member moves. In this case, the foreign matter detectionmember can cause a foreign mater to engage when it moves in eitherdirection. Therefore, missing out on detection can be reduced bydetecting a foreign matter, which cannot be detected in scanning in onedirection, during rescanning in the opposite direction. It is alsopossible to reduce missing out on detection when a foreign matter has,e.g., a wide sheet-like form.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the carriage movement mechanismaccording to the present invention includes a home position sensor whichdetects that the foreign matter detection member is placed at a homeposition through an intermediary member with which an end side of theforeign matter detection member comes into contact. In this case, thehome position sensor can be used to detect whether the foreign matterdetection member is placed at the home position and whether the end sideof the foreign matter detection member has a defect.

Moreover, to achieve the above-described aim, a method for operating acarriage movement mechanism according to the present invention comprisesthe steps of: constituting a loop having two parallel portions bystretching a loop-like member between two rollers; fixing one of a pairof carriages to one of the two parallel portions constituting the loopand extending it to the other parallel portion so that it is guided bythe other parallel portion so as not to rotate around the loop likemember; and fixing the other carriage to the other one of the twoparallel portions and extending it to one parallel portion so that it isguided by this parallel portion so as not to rotate around the loop-likemember, thereby reciprocating the two carriages so as to move closer toor away from each other.

In this case, when the loop-like member is rotated, one parallel portionand the other parallel portion move in the opposed directions, onemovement member moves in one direction together with one parallelportion, while the other movement member moves in the opposite directiontogether with the other parallel portion. That is, a pair of themovement members move so as to get closer to or away from each other. Atthat time, the parallel portion on the other side guides the extendedpart of one movement member while moving in the opposite direction, andprevents this movement member from rotating around one parallel portion.Therefore, one movement member moves in parallel in a predetermineddirection without rotating around the axis of the parallel portion. Thisis also true to the other movement member, and it does not rotate aroundone parallel portion.

In this case, the loop-like member has both a function of a drive beltwhich drives the movement members, and a function of a guide shaft and aslide member for performing guiding and rotation restriction of themovement members. Therefore, the carriage movement mechanism can beconstituted without additionally providing the guide shaft, the slidemember and the like, which is advantageous for minimization of themechanism adopting this operating method. Also, reduction in the costcan be facilitated.

In addition, in this method of operating the carriage movementmechanism, it is preferable that a foreign matter detection member whichdetects a foreign matter inserted into a card reader is provided to thecarriage and a foreign matter engagement portion which engages with aforeign matter is provided to the foreign matter detection member inboth directions along which the foreign matter detection member moves.In this case, the foreign matter detection member can engage with theforeign matter when moving in either direction. Therefore, missing outon detection can be reduced by detecting a foreign matter, which cannotbe detected by scanning in one direction, during rescanning in theopposite direction. Additionally, it is possible to decrease missing outon detection when a foreign matter has, e.g., a wide sheet-like shape.

Further, to achieve the above-described aim, according to the presentinvention, there is provided a foreign matter detection mechanism usedto detect a foreign matter other than a carriage object, comprising: aforeign matter detection member having a foreign matter engagementportion, a cutting edge portion which cuts a foreign matter, and a guideportion which leads the foreign matter to the cutting edge portion; amovement mechanism which moves the foreign matter detection member in adirection crossing a traveling path; and detecting means for detectingpresence/absence of foreign matter detection by the foreign matterdetection member, wherein the foreign matter is cut by the cutting edgeportion or detected by the detecting means.

As described above, the foreign matter detection mechanism including thecutting edge portion at the foreign matter detection member which movesin a crossing direction can detect the foreign matter without damagingan object since it brings the parts other than the cutting edge portioninto contact with the object surface. Furthermore, the foreign matterdetection member including the cutting edge portion can catch theforeign matter and move it in the crossing direction if the foreignmatter is a relatively-thick filiform matter, and it can cut the foreignmatter in the middle of the movement if the foreign matter is a thinfiliform matter. Therefore, detection or cutting can be enabled when thefiliform foreign matter is either thick or thin, thereby improving thesecurity property of the card reader and the like.

Moreover, in this foreign matter detection mechanism, it is preferablethat the foreign matter engagement portion of the foreign matterdetection member is constituted by a tabular portion, a concave portionwhich the tabular portion enters is provided to the detecting means, theconcave portion is formed to have a width which allows passage of thetabular portion not engaging with the foreign matter and does not allowpassage of the tabular portion engaging with the foreign matter, and theforeign matter entering between the concave portion and the tabularportion is cut by the cutting edge portion.

In this case, in cases where the foreign matter is thinner than a gapbetween the concave portion and the tabular portion, the foreign matterengagement portion can enter the concave portion together with theforeign matter even if it carries the foreign matter. However, if theforeign matter is thicker than the gap, the foreign matter engagementportion cannot enter the concave portion together with the foreignmatter. Therefore, detecting a position of the foreign matter engagementportion can detect existence of the foreign matter whose thickness isnot less than a predetermined value. In addition, since the thin foreignmatter can be readily cut as its thickness gets smaller, it can be cutby the cutting edge portion.

Additionally, it is preferable that the movement mechanism includes astepping motor and a movement member which has the foreign matterdetection member attached thereto and moves by the stepping motor andthat the movement mechanism is provided separately from the carriagemechanism for an object. In this case, since the foreign matterdetection member can be operated individually and separately from, e.g.,a carriage conformation for a card, the foreign matter can be easilydetected. Further, the operation control of the foreign matter detectionmember can be facilitated by the stepping motor, and a position of theforeign matter detection member can be maintained by the holding powerof the stepping motor so as to prevent the foreign matter detectionmember under the tension of the filiform foreign matter from retiring.

Furthermore, in this foreign matter detection mechanism, it ispreferable to place an object at a position that the foreign matterdetection member crosses when the foreign matter detection member movesin a direction crossing the traveling path, move the object by thecarriage mechanism for an object and cut the foreign matter by using thecutting edge portion. In this case, a foreign matter such as a filiformmatter caught around a such object as a card can be detected by theforeign matter detection member, and it can be cut by the cutting edgeportion under the tension obtained when moving the card.

Moreover, it is preferable that the cutting edge portion in this foreignmatter detection mechanism is formed by a cutting surface exposed bymoving sections of a notch provided to the foreign matter engagementportion in opposite directions to each other. In this case, the filiformforeign matter can be caught and moved so as not to slide from thecutting point, and the thin filiform foreign matter can be cut by thecutting point. In addition, the cutting edge portion can be readilyformed by pushing open the notches by shearing or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a primary part of a foreign matterdetection mechanism in a card reader according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2(A) is a front view showing an embodiment of a foreign matterdetection member;

FIG. 2(B) is a side view of FIG. 2(A);

FIG. 2(C) is a rear view of FIG. 2(A);

FIG. 3(A) is a front view showing the vicinity of a protruding end ofthe foreign matter detection member and a shape of a cutting edgeportion;

FIG. 3(B) is a side view of FIG. 3(A);

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing from the right side astructural example from a card insertion opening to the foreign matterdetection mechanism;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the card reader;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view briefly showing the relationship between athickness of the foreign matter detection member and a width of aconcave portion;

FIG. 7 is a view showing the periphery of a foreign matter engagementportion of the foreign matter detection member in the card readeraccording to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a primary part of the foreign matterdetection mechanism according to the second embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a primary part of the foreign matterdetection mechanism;

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a primary part of the foreign matterdetection mechanism;

FIG. 11 is a front view showing a primary part of the foreign matterdetection mechanism; and

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a carriage movement mechanism in aconventional card reader.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT OF THE INVENTION

The structure of the present invention will now be described in detailhereinafter based on best embodiments.

FIGS. 1 to 6 show a structure of a card reader to which the presentinvention is applied. This card reader includes in a card traveling path4 a foreign matter detection mechanism 1 for detecting a foreign matter3 other than a card (which will be referred to as a card 2 hereinafter)as a carriage object 2. This foreign matter detection mechanism 1 isconstituted by a foreign matter detection member 5, a movement mechanism29 (which will be referred to as a carriage movement mechanism 29hereinafter) for moving the foreign matter detection member 5 in adirection crossing the card traveling path 4, and detecting means 8 fordetecting presence/absence of foreign matter detection by the foreignmatter detection member 5.

In this embodiment, the foreign matter detection member 5 is attached toa carriage 13 of the carriage movement mechanism 29 and caused to move.This carriage movement mechanism 29 has a motor 10 as a drive source,and is constituted by attaching the carriage 13, which moves in apredetermined direction, to a loop-like member 12 driven by the motor 10and attaching the foreign matter detection member 5, which is a body tobe moved, to the carriage 13.

Here, one foreign matter detection member 5 can suffice in order todetect a foreign matter, but it is preferable to provide a plurality ofthe foreign matter detection members 5 so as to divide the cardtraveling path 4 and perform detection. In this embodiment, a pair ofthe foreign matter detection members 5 are provided. Therefore, thenumber of the carriages 13 is also two. It is to be noted thatsubscripts a and b indicate a pair with respect to members provided inthe form of a pair (for example, the foreign matter detection members 5,the detecting means 8 and the like) in this embodiment.

It is to be noted that the card reader includes a shutter plate 22 whichopens and closes the card traveling path 4. Although the shutter plate22 is not described in detail particularly in this specification, theshutter plate 22 is rotatably supported at both ends thereof by, e.g., alink and moves up and down as shown in FIG. 4 by movement of the link.Moreover, the foreign matter detection mechanism 1 is provided at therear of the shutter plate 22 as shown in FIG. 4 and detects a foreignmatter 3 in an inner area away from the shutter plate 22.

The carriage movement mechanism 29 is a mechanism for moving the foreignmatter detection members 5 in a direction crossing the card travelingpath 4, includes a stepping motor as a motor 10 (which will be referredto as a “stepping motor 10” hereinafter), a gear train 11, a wire as aloop-like member 12 (which will be referred to as a “wire 12”hereinafter), carriages 13 and rollers 14 in this embodiment, andprovided separately from the card carriage mechanism (not shown). Theturning force of the stepping motor 10 is transmitted to one roller 14 athrough the gear train 11.

The wire 12 is stretched in the form of a loop between the rollers 14 aand 14 b at the both ends in the card crossing direction, and movesaround in either direction upon receiving the turning force. In thiscase, as shown in FIG. 1, two parallel portions 12 x and 12 y are formedto the wire 12 between the rollers 14 a and 14 b.

A pair of carriages denoted by reference numerals 13 a and 13 b areattached to the wire 12. For example, one carriage 13 a is fixed to theupper parallel portion 12 x of the wire 12 in a fixing portion denotedby reference numeral 27 a while the other carriage 13 b is fixed to thelower parallel portion 12 y of the wire 12 in a fixing portion 27 b sothat the carriages 13 a and 13 b move in the opposed directions. In thiscase, when the wire 12 rotates in the counterclockwise direction asshown in FIG. 1, the carriage 13 a moves in the left direction in thedrawing, and the carriage 13 b moves in the right direction.

These carriages 13 a and 13 b include guide portions 28 a and 28 b whichguide the carriages themselves. The guide portions 28 a and 28 b arethrough holes provided to the carriage 13 main body as shown in thedrawing so as to cause the wire parallel portion 12 y (or 12 x) on theopposite side of the parallel portion 12 x (or 12 y) fixed by the fixingportion 27 a (or 27 b) to pierce therethrough, for example. The carriage13 a (or 13 b) including such a guide portion 28 a (or 28 b) can movealong the wire 12 without rotating around the wire 12.

Further, the foreign matter detection members 5 (5 a, 5 b) which detectthe foreign matter 3 inserted into the card reader are attached to thecarriages 13 a and 13 b. The foreign matter detection member 5 has theforeign matter engagement portion 6 and is rotatably attached to each ofthe carriages 13 a and 13 b. The foreign matter detection members 5 aand 5 b are given impetus in a direction along which they rise by a coilspring 15 such as shown in FIGS. 2(B) and 2(C) (for example, theclockwise direction in case of the foreign matter detection member 5 b)so that the foreign matter detection members can move closer to or awayfrom the card traveling path 4. As a result, the foreign matterdetection members 5 a and 5 b thoroughly get across the area where theforeign matter 3 can pass when the card 2 does not exist in the cardtraveling path 4 and, on the other hand, they move while sliding on thelower surface of the card 2 and check whether there is the foreignmatter 3 in the card traveling path 4 when the card 2 exists in the cardtraveling path 4.

The foreign matter engagement portions 6 a and 6 b provided on theforeign matter detection members 5 a and 5 b are formed to catch theforeign matter 3 and move it to the side when the foreign matter 3exists in the card traveling path 4. In this embodiment, each of theforeign matter engagement portions 6 a and 6 b is constituted by atabular portion 24 having a predetermined thickness and has a hook-likeshape as shown in FIG. 3(A) so that it can readily catch the foreignmatter 3 particularly when the foreign matter 3 has a filate form. Thetabular portion 24 has a lamination structure that a middle sheet metal35 is sandwiched between two resin plates 34 as shown in FIG. 3(B).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a part of each of the foreign matterengagement portion 6 a and 6 b which comes into contact with the card 2(denoted by reference numeral 19 in the drawing) has a gentle curveshape as shown in FIG. 3(A), a protruding end 16 is rounded so as not tobe caught by the surface of the curved card 2 or the emboss of the card2. Alternatively, although not shown, a roller or the like may beprovided to the protruding end portion 16 in place of giving roundness,or surface finishing may be applied in order to facilitate sliding.

As shown in FIG. 3(A), it is preferable that the foreign matterengagement portions 6 a and 6 b include cutting edge portions 17 (17 a,17 b) and guide portions 18 (18 a, 18 b) which lead the foreign matter 3to the cutting edge portions 17. In this embodiment, the cutting surfaceis exposed by moving the sections of the notch of the foreign matterengagement portions 6 in the opposite directions to each other byshearing, and the cutting edge portions 17 a and 17 b are formed by theunevenly opened sheared surfaces (or the sheared edges). A part of thefilate foreign matter 3 is caught to be assuredly moved, and cutting ofthe foreign matter 3 is enabled if the foreign matter 3 is thin. Theguide portions 18 a and 18 b are inclined edges continuous to thecutting edge portions 17 a and 17 b provided in troughs of the foreignmatter engagement portions 6 a and 6 b.

Moreover, the filate foreign matter 3 may be cut by utilizing the cardcarrying force. That is, when carrying the card 2, the filate foreignmatter 3 is pressed against the cutting edge portions 17 by the tensileforce obtained when the card 2 catches and pulls the filate foreignmatter 3, and then it is cut. In this case, each foreign matterdetection member 5 is maintained at a position obtained when the filateforeign matter 3 is pressed by the holding power of the stepping motor10 so as not to retire upon receiving the tensile force of the filateforeign matter 3.

In this embodiment, as described above, a pair of the foreign matterdetection members 5 are provided, and a central position at which theright and left foreign matter detection members 5 a and 5 b come intocontact with each other is determined as a home position of the foreignmatter detection members 5 a and 5 b as indicated by an imaginary linein FIG. 1. A home position sensor 20 consisting of, e.g., a photo-sensorcan detect whether the foreign matter detection members 5 a and 5 b areplaced at the home position. In addition, since the foreign matterdetection members 5 a and 5 b come into contact with each other at thehome position and include contact portions 23 (23 a, 23 b) which causethe foreign matter engagement portions 6 a and 6 b to rotate so as toretire from the card traveling path 4, the foreign matter engagementportions 6 a and 6 b rotate in the crossing manner and move away fromthe card traveling path 4 at the home position (see FIG. 1).

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 5, it is preferable that the foreignmatter detection members 5 a and 5 b include protruding restrictionportions 25 (25 a, 25 b). The restriction portions 25 come into contactwith the protruding portions 26 (26 a, 26 b) provided on the carriages13, and hold a rising range of the foreign matter detection portions 5 aand 5 b to an appropriate range.

A pair of the foreign matter detection members 5 a and 5 b move from thecentral part (home position) of the card traveling path 4 toward theouter side (side part of the card traveling path 4) in a directioncrossing the card traveling path 4. At that time, the scanning strokesof both of the foreign matter detection members 5 a and 5 b are setwider than the card width by combining each stroke of the foreign matterdetection members 5 a and 5 b so as to enable detection in a largerrange than the card width. In this case, there is no missing out ondetection when a pair of the foreign matter detection members 5redundantly scan in the central part. In this embodiment, since scanningan area which is approximately a half of the width of the card travelingpath 4 by the respective foreign matter detection members 5 a and 5 b(and the carriages 13 a and 13 b) can suffice, the time required fordetection is short.

Further, the foreign matter detection mechanism 1 includes detectingmeans 8 (8 a, 8 b) which are positioned on the outer side of the cardtraveling path 4 and detect presence/absence of the foreign matter 3 atthe scanning stroke terminals of the foreign matter detection members 5a and 5 b. In this embodiment, the detecting means 8 are constituted byphoto-sensors 21 (21 a, 21 b) and provided with concave portions 9 (9 a,9 b) which the tabular portions 24 of the foreign matter detectionmembers 5 a and 5 b enter. Furthermore, each of the concave portions 9 aand 9 b is formed larger than the width of the tabular portion 24 butsmaller than the dimension of the foreign matter 3 to be detected insuch a manner that the tabular portion 24 with which the foreign matter3 is not engaged can pass through the concave portion but the tabularportion 24 with which the foreign matter is engaged cannot pass throughthe same (see FIG. 6). In this case, if the foreign matter 3 is thickerthan the width of a gap between each concave portion 9 and the tabularportion 24, the foreign matter 3 is an obstacle, the foreign matterdetection members 5 a and 5 b which have caught the foreign matter 3cannot enter the concave portions 9. Therefore, the protruding foreignmatter detection members 5 a and 5 b can be detected by the detectingmeans 8. On the other hand, the foreign matter 3 which is thin to theextent enabling entrance between each concave portion 9 and the tabularportion 24 can be cut by the above-described cutting edge portions 17.

The operation of the foreign matter detection mechanism 1 according tothis embodiment will now be described.

In the card insertion standby state, the foreign matter detectionmembers 5 a and 5 b are placed at the home position and retired from thecard traveling path 4.

Then, when the card 2 is inserted, the card 2 is temporarily stoppedafter insertion, and the stepping motor 10 is activated to drive thecarriages 13 a and 13 b in the right and left directions. Specifically,as shown in FIG. 1, the wire 12 is rotated in the counterclockwisedirection, and the carriages 13 a and 13 b are moved in the directionsalong which they are distanced from each other. At this moment, the card2 is placed at the position of the foreign matter detection members 5 soas to perform movement of the card 2 by the card carriage mechanism andcutting of the foreign matter 3 by the cutting edge portions 17. Theforeign matter detection members 5 a and 5 b are moved from the homeposition and try to raise the foreign matter engagement portions 6 a and6 b. However, since the card 2 is placed on the foreign matter detectionmembers 5, the protruding end portions 16 come into contact with thecard 2 and rise is restricted. Then, the foreign matter detectionmembers 5 scan in the horizontal direction toward the outer side fromthe home position while being in contact with the back side of the card2.

Here, when the filate foreign matter 3 is set in the card reader, thisfilate foreign matter 3 is caught by the foreign matter engagementportions 6 a and 6 b of the foreign matter detection members 5 a and 5b. When an amount of slack of the filate foreign matter 3 is small,continuing scanning of the foreign matter detection members 5 a and 5 bbrings the filate foreign matter 3 to the stretch and inhibits thecarriage operation, thereby detecting the foreign matter 3. On the otherhand, when an amount of slack of the filate foreign matter 3 is large,the foreign matter detection members 5 a and 5 b which have caught thefilate foreign matter 3 do not enter the concave portions 9 a and 9 band the foreign matter 3 is detected by the detecting means 8 a and 8 b.When the foreign matter 3 is detected, processing of the card 2 isinterrupted, and the card 2 is returned to the user.

The above has described the case that the filate foreign matter 3 isthicker than a gap between each concave portion 9 and the tabularportion 24. On the contrary, when the filate foreign matter 3 is thinnerthan the gap between each concave portion 9 and the tabular portion 24,each foreign matter detection member 5 can enter the concave portion 9together with the filate foreign matter 3 as shown in FIG. 6. In thiscase, the thin filate foreign matter 3 can be cut by the cutting edgeportion 17 of each foreign matter detection member 5.

In contradiction to the above-described case, even when the card 2 isnot inserted, scanning/detection by the foreign matter detection members5 a and 5 b can be of course performed. In this case, since there is norestriction in rise of the card 2 with respect to the foreign matterdetection members 5 a and 5 b, the foreign matter detection members 5 aand 5 b can scan the entire area of the card traveling path 4 in thedirection of the card width.

As described above, in the foreign matter detection mechanism 1according to this embodiment, the foreign matter detection members 5scan the entire area of the card traveling path 4 similar to the priorart when there is no card 2 inserted, and they move back to the positionwhere they come into contact with the card surface and scan all areasother than the area partitioned by the card 2 when there is the card 2inserted. That is, even when the card 2 exists, since at least the areaon one side partitioned by the card 2 is scanned, the foreign matter 3,especially the filate foreign matter 3 which extends to both sides ofthe card 2 as shown in FIG. 1 can be detected even after insertion ofthe card.

Therefore, even if, e.g., the filate foreign matter 3 enters the cardtraveling path 4 when the card is inserted, this foreign matter 3 can bedetected by scanning after insertion of the card. Moreover, in caseswhere the foreign matter 3 is filate, detection is possible irrespectivethe string is slack or tight, and the high detection capability isdemonstrated, thereby further improving the security property of thecard reader.

In addition, the cutting edge portions 17 are provided to the foreignmatter engagement portions 6 of the foreign matter detection members 5,and the foreign matter detection members 5 move in the crossingdirection so as to bring the parts other than the cutting edge portions17 into contact with the card surface, thereby detecting the foreignmatter 3 without damaging the card 2. Additionally, when the filateforeign matter 3, which is thin to the extent allowing entrance betweeneach concave portion 9 and each tabular portion 24 and cannot bedetected by the detecting means 8 is caught, this filate member 3 can becut at the midpoint thereof, and hence a subsequent fraudulent actioncan be avoided even if the filate foreign matter 3 cannot be detectedbecause it is too thin.

It is to be noted that the above is a preferred embodiment according tothe present invention but the present invention is not restrictedthereto, and various modifications and variations can be carried outwithout departing from the scope of the invention. For example,description has been given as to the case that each carriage 13 is amoving member to which each foreign matter detection member 5 fordetecting the foreign matter 3 inserted into the card reader is attachedin this embodiment, the function of the carriage 13 is not restrictedthereto. Besides, the carriage 13 may be a carriage 13 on which the card2 is mounted or a carriage 13 having a magnetic head attached thereto.That is, the carriage movement mechanism 29 can be applied as amechanism for moving each carriage 13 in the foreign matter detectionmechanism 1 in the card reader as well as a mechanism for moving themagnetic head, the card and others in predetermined directions.

Further, description has been given on the conformation that the foreignmatter 3 set in the card reader is detected by the foreign matterdetection mechanism 1 in this embodiment, and this foreign matterdetection mechanism 1 can be applied to any device other than the cardreader. For example, it can be applied as a device for detecting theforeign matter 3 in an apparatus having paper currency as a carriageobject.

Furthermore, the detecting means 8 in this embodiment detect the foreignmatter 3 by detecting the foreign matter detection members 5 by thephoto-sensors 21 when the foreign matter detection members 5 can notenter the concave portions 9 because the foreign matter 3 is anobstacle, but the structure of the detecting means 8 is not restrictedthereto. Although not described in detail, existence of the foreignmatter 3 may be detected by, e.g., a mechanical sensor which operateswith a tension weaker than the tensile force of the filate foreignmatter 3. Alternatively, a movement lever which scans the front side ofeach concave portion 9 may be operated, and positional detection may bemechanically performed by checking whether the movement lever comes intocontact with the foreign matter detection members 5 which do notcompletely enter the concave portions 9. Furthermore, a pair of metalpieces are oppositely arranged, and when the filate foreign matter 3 issandwiched therebetween, the pair of metal pieces cannot come intocontact with each other, and detection whether the filate foreign matter3 exists may be electrically performed based on a change in theelectrostatic capacity.

Moreover, although the foreign matter detection members 5 are moved byutilizing the wire 12 in the carriage movement mechanism 29 in thisembodiment, any other loop-like member such as a belt may be used inplace of the wire 12. In addition, a DC motor or the like may be used asa drive source of the wire 12 and others instead of the stepping motor10.

In addition, the above has described the conformation that a pair of theforeign matter detection members 5 a and 5 b simultaneously move fromthe central part to the outer side, but the single foreign matterdetection member 5 may be used to scan the entire area. In this case,although the scanning stroke must be set longer and the foreign matterdetection member 5 must be moved from one end to the other end, theforeign matter detection mechanism 1 can be constituted by a singlemember, which results in the structure simpler than the foreign matterdetection mechanism 1 according to this embodiment.

Additionally, the wire through holes provided to the carriages 13 areillustrated as the example of the guide portions 28 a and 28 b in thisembodiment, but the present invention is not restricted thereto. Forexample, the guides 28 a and 28 b can be formed by engagement groovesincluding drop preventing claws by which the wire 12 is hard to comeoff.

The second embodiment according to the present invention will now bedescribed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a foreign matterengagement portion is provided to the respective foreign matterdetection members 5 a and 5 b in both directions along which the foreignmatter detection members 5 a and 5 b move. In cases where two foreignmatter engagement portions are provided, a pair of the foreign matterengagement portions 6 described in connection with the first embodimentcan be used. In this embodiment, however, as shown in FIG. 7, theabove-described foreign matter engagement portion 6 is combined withanother foreign matter engagement portion 30 consisting of a protrusion.

In this case, the foreign matter 3 can be detected when the foreignmatter detection member 5 moves in either direction. For example, evenif the filate foreign matter 3 cannot be detected by the foreign matterengagement portion 6 (see FIG. 7), the foreign mater 3 can be caught bythe foreign matter engagement portion 30 and detected by moving theforeign matter detection member 5 in the opposite direction.Additionally, in cases where the foreign matter 3 has a sheet-like shapeas shown in FIG. 7 and is wide to the extent that it cannot be caught bythe foreign matter engagement portion 6 when the foreign matterdetection member 5 is changed from the standby state shown in FIG. 11 tothe upright state shown in FIG. 10, the edge of the sheet-like foreignmatter 3 can be caught by the foreign matter engagement portion 30 anddetected by moving the foreign matter detection member 5 in the oppositedirections. Therefore, according to the carriage movement mechanism ofthis embodiment, missing out on detection of the foreign matter 3 isreduced.

In this embodiment, home position sensors 20 a and 20 b are provided tothe foreign matter detection members 5 a and 5 b, respectively. Further,in this embodiment, the home position sensors 20 a and 20 b do notdirectly detect the carriages 13 a and 13 b as moving members but detectthem through intermediary members 31 a and 31 b.

As shown in FIG. 8, the intermediary members 31 a and 31 b are tabularmembers provided so as to be capable of rotating around supportingpoints 32 a and 32 b, respectively. They are given impetus bynon-illustrated impetus giving means and retired to positions whichcannot be detected by the home position sensors 20 a and 20 b in theregular state (FIG. 8). Further, the intermediary members 31 a and 31 binclude contact portions 33 a and 33 b with which the foreign matterdetection members 5 a and 5 b come into contact, and work with eachother upon receiving movement of the foreign matter detection members 5a and 5 b. The contact portions 33 a and 33 b are formed by bending apart of each of the tabular intermediary members 31 a and 31 b, forexample.

The operation of the foreign matter detection mechanism 1 will now bedescribed hereinafter.

The respective foreign matter detection members 5 a and 5 b which havedetected the foreign matter 3 move to the furthermost positions shown inFIG. 8 and can be detected by the detecting means 8 a and 8 b. At thismoment, as described above, the intermediary members 31 a and 31 bretire to the positions at which the home position sensors 20 a and 20 bare not blocked by the effect of the impetus giving means.

Then, the carriages 13 a and 13 b and the foreign matter detectionmembers 5 a and 5 b are moved in the direction along which they movecloser to each other, and returned to the home position (FIG. 9). Duringthis movement, the foreign matter detection members 5 a and 5 b againscan the card traveling path 4, and cause the existing foreign matter 3to engage with the foreign matter engagement portions 30 a and 30 b,thereby enabling detection.

Moreover, when the carriages 13 a and 13 b and the foreign matterdetection members 5 a and 5 b are further moved closer to each other,the foreign matter detection member 5 a (5 b) receives the reactiveforce from the contact portion 23 a (23 b) which has come into contactwith the carriage 13 b (13 a) (FIG. 10), and rotates so as to retirefrom the card traveling path 4. At this moment, as shown in FIG. 11, apart of the foreign matter detection member 5 a (5 b) is brought intocontact with the contacted portion 33 a (33 b), rotates the intermediarymember 31 a (31 b), and blocks the home position sensor 20 a (20 b). Asa result, the home position sensors 20 a and 20 b indirectly detect thatthe foreign matter detection members 5 a and 5 b are placed at the homeposition.

Here, if the end sides of the foreign matter detection members 5including the foreign matter engagement portions 6 and 30 becomedefective and cannot come into contact with the contacted portions 33 ofthe intermediary members 31, the intermediary members 31 do not rotatefrom the retired position even though the foreign matter detectionmembers 5 are fully moved. Thus, arrival to the home position cannot bedetected. In this case, it is possible to determine that the end side ofthe foreign matter detection members 5 are defective based on theabove-described situations without using the detecting means 8.Therefore, even if the foreign matter detection members 5 areintentionally destroyed, the defective state can be confirmed at thehome position.

It is to be noted that the contact portion 23 on each foreign matterdetection member 5 may be a simple protrusion, but the contact portion23 in this embodiment is constituted by two symmetrical protrusions eachhaving arc surface as shown in FIG. 11 and others. In this case, thecontact part changes from one protrusion to the other protrusion duringrotation of the foreign matter detection member 5 (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

1. A foreign matter detection mechanism for detecting a foreign matterother than a carriage object, comprising: a foreign matter detectionmember having a foreign matter engagement portion and being able to movecloser to or away from a traveling path of the object; a movementmechanism for moving the foreign matter detection member in a directioncrossing the traveling path; and detecting means for detectingpresence/absence of foreign matter detection by the foreign matterdetection member, wherein the foreign matter detection member isattached to the movement mechanism so as to thoroughly cut across anarea through which the foreign matter can pass when the object does notexist in the traveling path and move while sliding on a lower surface ofthe object when the object exists in the traveling path; the foreignmatter engagement portion of the foreign matter detection member beingconstituted by a tabular portion, a concave portion which the tabularportion can enter is provided to the detecting means, and the concaveportion being formed to have a width which allows passage of the tabularportion with which the foreign matter is not engaged and does not allowpassage of the tabular portion with which the foreign matter is engaged.2. The foreign matter detection mechanism according to claim 1, whereinthe detecting means is arranged outside the traveling path, and theforeign matter detection member is provided so as to cut across thetraveling path and perform detection in a wider range than a width ofthe object.
 3. A foreign matter detection mechanism for detecting aforeign matter other than a carriage object, comprising: a foreignmatter detection member having a foreign matter engagement portion andbeing able to move closer to or away from a traveling path of theobject; a movement mechanism for moving the foreign matter detectionmember in a direction crossing the traveling path; and detecting meansfor detecting presence/absence of foreign matter detection by theforeign matter detection member, wherein the foreign matter detectionmember is attached to the movement mechanism so as to thoroughly cutacross an area through which the foreign matter can pass when the objectdoes not exist in the traveling path and move while sliding on a lowersurface of the object when the object exists in the traveling path;wherein a plurality of the foreign matter detection members are providedso as to divide the traveling path and perform detection; and whereinthe foreign matter detection member consists of a pair of members whichmove from the central part of the traveling path to the outer sidesrespectively and perform redundant detection at the central part.
 4. Aforeign matter detection mechanism for detecting a foreign matter otherthan a carriage object, comprising: a foreign matter detection memberhaving a foreign matter engagement portion, a cutting edge portion forcutting the foreign matter, and a guide portion for leading the foreignmatter to the cutting edge portion; a movement mechanism for moving theforeign matter detection member in a direction crossing a travelingpath; and detecting means for detecting presence/absence of foreignmatter detection by the foreign matter detection member, wherein theforeign matter is cut when present by the cutting edge portion, and theforeign matter is detected by preventing the foreign matter detectionmember from entering the detecting means due to the presents of theforeign matter when failed to be cut.
 5. The foreign matter detectionmechanism according to claim 4, wherein the foreign matter engagementportion of the foreign matter detection member is constituted by atabular portion, a concave portion which the tabular portion enters isprovided to the detecting means, the concave portion is formed to have awidth which allows passage of the tabular portion with which the foreignmatter is not engaged and does not allow passage of the tabular portionwith which the foreign matter is engaged, and the foreign matterentering between the concave portion and the tabular portion is cut bythe cutting edge portion.
 6. The foreign matter detection mechanismaccording to claim 4, wherein the movement mechanism includes a steppingmotor and a moving member which has the foreign matter detection memberattached thereto and is moved by the stepping motor, and is providedseparately from a carriage mechanism for the object.
 7. The foreignmatter detection mechanism according to claim 6, wherein, when theforeign matter detection member moves in a direction crossing thetraveling path, the object is placed at a position that the foreignmatter detection member cuts across, the object is moved by the carriagemechanism for the object, and the foreign matter is cut by the cuttingedge portion.
 8. The foreign matter detection mechanism according toclaim 4, wherein the cutting edge portion is formed by a cutting surfaceexposed by moving sections of a notch provided to the foreign matterengagement portion in opposite directions to each other.